Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher + Haunted One + Faces of the Past + Sage of Hours + Umbral Collar Zealot

Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher

Haunted One

Faces of the Past

Sage of Hours

Umbral Collar Zealot

How it works

1. Activate Vhal by tapping it, adding an amount of C equal to Vhal's toughness that cannot be spent to cast spells from your hand.
2. Haunted One triggers, causing Humans and Wizards you control to get +2/+0 and to gain undying until end of turn.
3. Activate Sage of Hours by removing all +1/+1 counters from it.
4. Activate Umbral Collar Zealot by sacrificing Sage of Hours.
5. When Sage of Hours dies, its undying ability and Faces of the Past trigger.
6. Resolve the Sage of Hours trigger, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
7. Resolve the Faces of the Past trigger, untapping all Humans and Wizards.
8. Resolve the Umbral Collar Zealot ability
9. Repeat.

This intricate loop turns Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher into a massive engine, tapping the commander to generate color-restricted colorless mana while triggering Haunted One to grant your Humans and Wizards a temporary +2/+0 boost and crucial undying resilience. When you sacrifice Sage of Hours to Umbral Collar Zealot for a quick surveil, the resulting death triggers Faces of the Past to untap all your shared creature types, including Vhal. This untap frees Vhal to tap for mana again, while undying immediately returns Sage of Hours to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter ready to fuel more turns.